Saïd Business School, University of Oxford Future Business Leaders Summer School

You can apply if you're between 15 and 18 on 31 August 2027, and Saïd Business School counts you as 18 up to 18 years and 11 months, so what matters is that you haven't turned 19 by that date. You also need English at B2 (upper intermediate) level or above on the Common European Framework scale, and if you're unsure of your level, Saïd suggests asking your English teacher. Students of any nationality can apply, and you don't need any previous business experience.

The recruitment team reads your written answers and watches your video interview together before deciding. Saïd doesn't publish a cohort size or acceptance rate.

Applications go through Saïd Business School's youth programs application form. Saïd doesn't publish a deadline, and because places are offered on a rolling basis, it encourages you to apply early.

1. 1

   Fill in the online form, including three answers of about 300 words each on why you want to attend, which skills you want to develop and what you'd bring to the group.

2. 2

   Add your school details, the name and contact details of a teacher who can give you a reference, and a parent or guardian's details.

3. 3

   Once you've submitted the form, you'll be invited to record a video interview on the Kira Talent platform, answering set questions with no live interviewer.

4. 4

   Wait for a decision, and if you haven't heard within two weeks of finishing your application, Saïd asks you to get in touch.

5. 5

   If you get an offer, accept it and pay a deposit to hold your place, then pay the full fee, because your place isn't confirmed until everything is paid.

The fee is £8,995 for either two-week session, and it covers teaching, University of Oxford accommodation, three meals a day, excursions, field trips and course materials. On top of that you pay for flights, any visa, spending money and travel to Oxford outside the free transfer times.

Saïd Business School also sells optional extras. If you're traveling alone and arriving outside the free transfer times, a private transfer with someone to meet you costs £200 each way from Heathrow or £250 from Gatwick, Stansted or London City, while accompanied train travel from London Paddington or Marylebone costs £120 each way. Arriving the night before costs £300, including meals and supervision, and a late checkout after 10:00 for a late flight costs £150. There's also a visa application support service at £350, which doesn't cover the government's own visa fee. All payments are in pounds sterling, and any currency conversion or bank charges fall to you.

The application form asks whether you'd like to be considered for a full or partial fee scholarship, but Saïd doesn't publish how many are awarded or who qualifies.

The cancellation terms are strict. You get a full refund if you cancel within 14 days of accepting your offer, but after that there's no refund unless the University agrees to one, and it may charge an admin fee if it does. The University strongly recommends full insurance, including cover for cancellation. You can transfer once to a later run of the same program if there's space, as long as you tell Saïd before your original session starts, and you pay the transfer fee below on top of the full fee for the new dates.

Every student has a single bedroom in University of Oxford accommodation in central Oxford, and the housing is separated by sex and age. There's 24/7 on-site security, a trained support team around the clock and a dedicated night team, although Saïd Business School doesn't publish a staff-to-student ratio.

The rules are firm. Students can't leave the school or residence without permission, and the University has zero tolerance for alcohol at any age, smoking, drugs, bullying and violence. Repeated or serious breaches can end in expulsion, with no refund and the trip home at the family's expense. Before arrival you must tell the University about any medical conditions, allergies and medication, and prescription medicine is handed to staff with written instructions in English.

There's free time to explore Oxford, and students have Wi-Fi to keep in touch with home. Parents are welcome at drop-off, but visits during the course aren't encouraged.

You leave with an official University of Oxford certificate, presented at a ceremony at the end of the course, along with the group business proposal you've pitched and a reworked CV and professional profile. It's a certificate of attendance, so students who don't meet the attendance requirements don't receive one.

It's a certificate rather than academic credit. Saïd Business School presents the course as a way to strengthen university applications, but nothing it publishes says attending affects a University of Oxford undergraduate admissions decision.